Galaxy midfielder Jermaine Jones, who has spent time with the U.S. national team, would like to see U.S. Soccer hire a proven coach and push more of its top players to play professionally overseas. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Everybody has an opinion on the current state of U.S. Soccer following Tuesday’s disappointing ending to the 2018 World Cup qualifying cycle.

Galaxy midfielder Jermaine Jones was on the first two U.S. rosters that opened qualifying with the losses to Mexico and Costa Rica, which led to the firing of Jurgen Klinsmann and the re-hiring of Bruce Arena.

Jones, ahead of the Galaxy’s final regular-season home game Sunday against Minnesota United FC, shared some interesting thoughts regarding the state of U.S. Soccer.

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“The best decision would be for U.S. Soccer to take their time and find somebody with a good name in soccer (as coach), who’s showed already maybe in different countries that he can coach,” Jones said. “I would like to see a coach who puts the pressure on players to tell them they have to go in their prime over to Europe and play in the best leagues to make the national team better.”

For the last two crucial matches, just five of the players were based in Europe (DeAndre Yedlin, Newcastle United; Christian Pulisic, Borussia Dortmund; Bobby Wood, Hamburg, Tim Ream, Fulham and Geoff Cameron, Stoke City).

Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca) and Jorge Villafana (Santos Laguna) are playing in Mexico and the rest were MLS-based.

“You have a long time until the next big tournament, so now you have to go and put the whole concentration on the youth teams,” Jones said. “Try to bring younger players in, give them the pressure … we all talk about (Christian) Pulisic, but he took his risk and went overseas and played there for a top team and this is why he’s that good.

“If you failed against Trinidad in the last game, you have to make the questions on the coach, but you have to make the questions on the players too. The truth is, maybe it is too easy to play in MLS for the (top) players and maybe they see it and that way they’re too relaxed and maybe a new coach has to come in and give them the pressure.”

Jones pointed to players such as Kellyn Acosta (22) and Darlington Nagbe (27) as ones who should go overseas to “get that experience.”

“When I started with the national team, there were maybe two guys in MLS,” Jones said. “A lot of guys like (Steve) Cherundolo, Carlos (Bocanegra), (Oguchi) Gooch Onyewu, Timmy (Howard), me, (Michael) Bradley, Clint (Dempsey), we were all playing overseas.”

The move, Jones said, not only helps players on the field, but off it as well.

“This is nothing against MLS, but if you compare it to other leagues, it’s still far away,” Jones said. “And especially when you play in CONCACAF (qualifying), you see now the teams don’t have respect for us anymore.

“We don’t talk about the other guys, who take the easy way and stay in MLS, then maybe go over and have to fight everyday for their position. That makes the national team better.”

The debate will rage on as U.S. Soccer enters the next important phase.

“What I want to see is more youth players take the hard way,” Jones said. “I wish I could sit back and one day and MLS is one of the best leagues in the world, but right now, the truth is it’s not and to make our national team the best, what we want, we have to say to players at one point, you have to go to Europe and play on the highest level.”

MINNESOTA UNITED at L.A. GALAXY

Kickoff: Sunday, 4:30 p.m. at StubHub Center

TV/RADIO: Spectrum SportsNet; KTMZ/1220; LAGalaxy.com (English)

Update: Minnesota United (10-16-6, 36 points) is in its first year and will finish ahead of the Galaxy (7-17-8, 29 points) this season. The teams met May 21 with the Galaxy winning 2-1. That was meeting came at a time when the Galaxy had its best stretch of the season (4-0-4). The Galaxy has recorded consecutive draws (3-3 and 1-1) heading into today’s game. The Galaxy has already set club records for fewest wins at home, most losses at home and fewest points at home.

Damian Calhoun is the Prep Sports Coordinator and writer for the Daily Breeze. He's also the soccer writer for the Southern California News Group, covering Major League Soccer and occasionally the U.S. national teams.

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